Category: Featured Headlines
Norovirus, Covid And RSV Are Surging This Winter. Here’s What To Know.
Forbes Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control shows spikes in norovirus, Covid-19 and RSV across the U.S.—a resurgence that’s potentially unlike the usual annual winter spread of these illnesses, which have been less active in recent months. Norovirus is a contagious virus that typically presents as projectile vomiting and diarrhea after ingesting contaminated food or […]
Jan 2, 2025
Canadian Teen Recovers From Severe H5N1 Bird Flu Infection
MedPageToday A 13-year-old Canadian girl recovered after being hospitalized in critical condition with H5N1 avian influenza, researchers reported. The girl was hospitalized on Nov. 7 and transferred to BC Children’s Hospital the next day, where she was intubated and put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and treated with three different antivirals, David Goldfarb, MD, of […]
Jan 1, 2025
NIH officials assess threat of H5N1
NIH Balancing enhanced vigilance and “business as usual.” Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) remains a low risk to the general public, and public health experts in the United States believe that available treatments and vaccines, as well as those in development, are sufficient to prevent severe disease. However, the National Institutes […]
Jan 1, 2025
Congo’s health ministry identifies flu-like disease as severe malaria
CBC Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry said on Tuesday that a previously unidentified disease circulating in the southwestern Kwango province is a severe form of malaria. Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the country’s Panzi health zone in November. The symptoms of the disease are fever, headache, […]
Dec 17, 2024
Delaware reports probable human case of H5 bird flu
BNO News A probable case of H5 bird flu was found during routine flu surveillance in Delaware, according to state and federal officials. The source of the infection – which would be the first in Delaware – is unknown. The CDC said the case in Delaware meets the definition of a “probable case,” which means […]
Dec 17, 2024
Alarming Mutation in H5N1 Virus Raises Pandemic Red Flags
Sci Tech Daily A recent study published in Science and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that a single alteration in a protein on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus—currently present in U.S. dairy cows—could significantly increase its potential for human-to-human transmission. These findings highlight the critical importance of ongoing […]
Dec 17, 2024
Another Pandemic Is Inevitable, and We’re Not Ready
Bloomberg President-elect Trump’s picks to lead the nation’s top public health agencies also don’t inspire confidence. Every week or so, scientists issue another warning that the H5N1 bird flu is inching closer to exploding into a pandemic. Despite having contended with a pandemic that broke out less than five years ago, the US has no solid plan to handle […]
Dec 17, 2024
LDH detects first presumptive positive human H5N1 case in Louisiana
Louisiana Dept of Health The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) has detected the first presumptive positive human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in Louisiana. The individual is a resident of southwestern Louisiana and is currently hospitalized. LDH’s Office of Public Health is coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Dec 17, 2024
CDC Can’t Confirm Suspected Bird Flu Case Tied to Raw Milk
MedPageToday CDC could not confirm what was suspected to have been the first H5N1 bird flu case linked to raw milk consumption The patient, a child in Marin County, California, experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk, as reported last week. The child initially tested positive for influenza A, with the local lab unable to […]
Dec 17, 2024
For Wild Animals, the Bird Flu Disaster Is Already Here
NYT Scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus could set off another human pandemic. But it is already putting species under pressure in the wild. Every spring, more than 200,000 northern gannets — stocky seabirds with dazzling white feathers — journey to the coast of eastern Canada. There, they blanket oceanside cliffs and rocky outcroppings, […]
Dec 17, 2024